


Secrecy and How It Leads To Awkward Rooming Situations

by sopdetly



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Marauders' Era, Secrets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-29
Updated: 2017-06-29
Packaged: 2018-11-20 18:09:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11340666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sopdetly/pseuds/sopdetly
Summary: One holiday, one secret, five people, three bedrooms.





	Secrecy and How It Leads To Awkward Rooming Situations

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks very much to ceredwensirius for the beta! Written for the 2009 rs_games for Team Canon.

"Moony. Come on."  
  
"Prongs, no! I can't lie about this. . . ."  
  
"Lying? Who said you were lying?"  
  
Remus rolled over in bed and hid his face in his pillow. It smelled like Sirius, so he quickly moved again, because getting hard while arguing with James simply wouldn't do. "It's simple. If I tell my parents that I'm going with you for the holiday, they'll just be upset and worried because they know it's Full. So either I tell them I'll be back here for Full or I let them think I'm staying here, both of which are lies. And if I  _leave_  here, then I need to tell Dumbledore that I am going home, which will also be a lie."  
  
James waved his hand. "You also let everyone think you sit up in the Shack and hurt yourself all night."  
  
"Well that's . . ." Remus frowned, unable to explain just why that was different from this situation.  
  
"Don't tell me it's different," James said, flipping through the pages of his Potions textbook. "It's either all lying or it's not. And it's either worth it or not." He wasn't too concerned about Remus's momentary resistance; he and Sirius had always been able to talk the other boy into going along with their plans, and there was no reason to think this time would be different. Plus, he had one angle left that he knew would tip Remus over the edge.  
  
Remus muttered something like, "Well it  _is_ ," and James just rolled his eyes, put down the book and turned to Remus. "Lily's thinking of coming," he said, ever so casually, as though he hadn't been daydreaming about that ever since she first mentioned the possibility.   
  
Remus's eyes widened. "You're kidding me."  
  
James grinned, not insulted by his friend's disbelief. "I would never make such jokes about the fair Miss Evans's intentions! She hasn't agreed yet—personally, I think she just wants to see what lengths I'll go to to get her to agree—but she's brought it up a few times, asking if we're all going, if anyone else is bringing a, a girlfriend." He didn't meet Remus's eye at the end of that sentence, and thus couldn't see that Remus looked away as well. "I told her that we weren't sure if you were coming along."  
  
Cautiously, Remus looked over at James, knowing that Prongs always has an angle. "And what did she say?"  
  
James shrugged. "Nothing much. She changed the subject then." He took a deep breath. "But I think she'd join us if you did. I think, I don't know, maybe she thinks you keep us on good behavior." Remus snorted, and James grinned. "Perhaps she's mistaken, but if that misconception gives her the excuse she needs . . ."  
  
Remus sighed. "Prongs! That's not  _fair_!"  
  
James pushed himself up, getting to his feet and walking towards the door. "It's up to you, Moony. You know we'd miss you if you stayed behind, and you know you'd be dead bored without us."  
  
"But what if Lily does come?" Remus asked, sitting up and turning to watch as James walked away. "How are you going to explain that we all just disappear on the Full?" He knew the answer, of course, knew that the only way to deal with this was to tell Lily everything...  
  
"Remus, we'd have to tell her eventually," James said quietly, trying to ignore the flutter of his heart at this honest acknowledgement that Lily might really want to be with him, and possibly for a very long time. "You know you can trust her to—"   
  
Remus shook his head. "It's not about trust." He'd actually nearly confessed to Lily about his Furry Little Problem a number of times over the years, especially when the full moon required a shuffle of their Prefecting duties. "And I'm sure she'd be able to handle it. Eventually. But . . ."  
  
James nodded, seeing where Remus was going with this. "I think we would have to tell her before we leave, yes. Give her a chance to not be a part of it, to say no." James pushed his glasses up his nose as he looked down at the floorboards. "I don't want to put either of you in a bad situation."  
  
Remus took a few moments to consider that, and James let him have his silence; both, then, were startled and jumped when the dorm door burst open, bringing into their quiet a loud and excitable Sirius Black, who immediately tackled James to the ground for a spirited wrestling match. Remus took the distraction as an opportunity to slip out of the room, and by the time James had pinned Sirius, it was far too late to stop him.  
  
"What did you say to him?" Sirius asked, his voice a bit strained with James on his back, but there was a note of annoyance there that James was trying to ignore.  
  
"We were talking about the trip," James said, moving to the side to let Sirius sit up again. "I think he's starting to break," he added with a grin.  
  
Sirius sighed. "Don't . . . don't push him too hard on that, okay? You know how he can get. He'd probably end up agreeing, then sulking the whole time, feeling guilty."  
  
James shook his head. "I won't bother him again. He knows why I think he should come."   
  
"I'm sure he just has to find a path of logic that will let him come and have fun with us," Sirius said.   
  
James bit the inside of his lip before he could let loose with a snarky comment about Remus having fun with  _Sirius_  in particular. He had no proof yet—and he wasn't exactly eager to obtain it—but since Christmas James had become increasingly aware of how the friendship between his two best friends had changed, just so slightly. They weren't telling him anything, and James figured he at least owed them the chance to come clean on their own terms, rather than have to answer James's questions.  
  
"You're probably right," James agreed. "I just hope he decides soon. You know how I like a plan."  
  


~ * ~

  
  
Lily was in the common room writing a letter home when Remus found her. She hastily put the letter away—in case he was coming to offer another perspective on why she should join the four on their holiday, she didn't want him to see that she was writing to her parents to let them know that she would be going away for a week.   
  
"Can we talk, Lily?" Remus asked, gesturing towards the portrait hole. His face was carefully devoid of emotion, even more than normal. Lily always marveled how someone who kept his emotions firmly in check could stand to be friendly with Potter and Black, who were more than eager to wear their hearts on their sleeves.  
  
"Of course," she replied, gathering her things. "Do you mind if I quickly put this upstairs?" He shook his head and sat in the chair across from her, which she took as a promise that he'd wait there for her. With a quick nod she got up and headed to her room. When she returned Remus was standing again, and Lily noticed he was nervous now; he was wringing his hands and pacing a little, and Lily frowned in concern.  
  
"I'm ready." He looked up, his movements quick like an animal on alert. Lily frowned, not at all sure why Remus might possibly look at her as a predator.   
  
He nodded, once, then gestured to the door again. "Sorry for the cloak and dagger feel," he said as he began to lead the way out, "but I assure you—"  
  
"There's no need, Remus," she said. "I know you're not one for dramatics." She let him lead her through the halls in silence for a while, trusting him to speak when he was ready. He brought her to a small room that she knew was often used for dueling practice for the Defence NEWT classes. It was off-limits outside school hours, but the top students in the year had permission from this year's Defence professor to use it whenever they wanted, and Remus was one of those students.   
  
They each settled into one of the comfortable chairs that were provided for rest between intense dueling matches; Lily sat back, trying to appear casual, while Remus sat forward, clearly still on edge. She was now desperately curious about what Remus could have to say to her—although, perhaps . . .  
  
"Lily, there's really no easy way to say this."  
  
She stiffened; even without him saying it, she knew what he was about to confess. Lily bit her lip, holding in the urge to say it for him.   
  
"I think you should come with us on holiday." Lily blinked. That . . . was not what she expected. "But first I need to tell you something. Something you need to know . . ." She nodded, coaxing him on.   
  
Remus looked down at his hands, then back up to her, and in a rush he spilled it all: "Lily, I'm a werewolf."  
  
She gave herself a moment to absorb that. Despite the fact that she had sort of figured that out years ago, without concrete proof she'd let the notion fall to the back of her mind. Having to confront it again now, by Remus's own words, was slightly startling.  
  
However, it was not more than a moment or two before she smiled at Remus and said, "I know, Remus."  
  


~ * ~

  
  
With Peter doing some extra Astronomy work and James off on Head Boy detail, Sirius slipped into Remus's bed and curled around his boyfriend without hesitation, confident that they'd have at least enough time for a much-needed make-out session before either of the others returned.  
  
Remus had been quiet all night, but turned from lying on his side and wrapped his arms around Sirius and held him close. Sirius kissed the side of Remus's neck and lightly rubbed his hand over Remus's chest. "You okay?"  
  
"Mmm." Remus smiled and put his hand over Sirius's. "I'm good, Pads." He picked up Sirius's hand and lifted it, kissing Sirius's fingers. "I'll go on holiday with you lot."  
  
Sirius sat up slightly, his smile wide with just the slightest hint of caution. "Really? You will?"   
  
Remus nodded, lifting his head enough to lightly kiss Sirius's mouth. "Yeah. I'm sorry I was being daft about it at all. It wasn't that I . . ."  
  
"Shh," Sirius said, smiling and kissing Remus again. "I understand that you just needed some time. And I'm just glad you'll come with." His voice dropped, softened. "Don't know what I'd do for a week without you, knowing you were here alone. . . ."  
  
Remus shook his head. "I probably would have gone home. Wouldn't have stayed here alone."  
  
"Well, rather be with you anyway. Even more with . . ." Sirius stopped, frowned. "Did you hear, though? Evans said she'll come, too. I don't want you to change your mind, but . . ."  
  
"It's okay." Remus shifted, tangling his legs with Sirius's, a subconscious movement to keep Sirius close and to let Sirius know that Remus wasn't going anywhere. "I told her. Told her about me." Sirius was quiet, just looking at Remus, his mouth shaped into a small "o". "She said she'd known. Figured it when we were prefects." Remus chuckled. "Apparently I'm shite at keeping a secret, and just very lucky that people like me enough not to tell the school."  
  
Sirius shook his head. "You're brilliant at keeping secrets." He traced Remus's cheek with one finger, keenly reminding them both of another kept secret. "You just make people want to know you."  
  
Remus smiled, accepting Sirius words as a display of the bias that Sirius held for Remus. It used to annoy him, just so slightly, until he understood that the bias was Sirius's affection coming through. Having Sirius think the best of Remus all the time was, in Remus's opinion, a fair exchange for snogging rights. "Well, it doesn't matter now. Though you, Wormtail, and Prongs will probably have to confess to her as well."  
  
"Probably," Sirius agreed. "You tell Prongs that he's going to have to spill the beans?"  
  
"Not yet, no." Remus wanted to give Lily a little recovery time before having another major secret tossed into her lap, demanding her loyalty. "I'll tell him tomorrow." He kissed Sirius's throat, his intentions clearly suggesting that they move on to other topics. "Right now I have you. . . ."  
  
Sirius grinned and rolled slightly onto Remus. "You do have me," he murmured, then kissed Remus firmly and fully, and there was no more talking for quite a while.  
  


~ * ~

  
  
The Potter summer home was tidy and secluded, and Peter felt better already when he saw that there would be plenty of room for the four of them to run around at the full moon while still leaving space for Lily to be protected. James was considering staying with her, too, which meant that Peter would be stuck in the house as well; a rat with two canines didn't stand a chance without the safety of antlers to hide in.  
  
Lily had taken the news well, that her boyfriend and his mates could all turn into animals. Sirius had softly suggested that it wasn't surprising since she used to be into a snake who could take on human form. It was a testament to how much James liked Lily that he didn't deck Sirius for that.  
  
At least not in front of her.  
  
The one problem with the house, though, was the number of bedrooms. And the problem was, as Peter could see it, that it shouldn't have been a problem.  
  
"Have you lost your mind, you twat?" Sirius said in a rough whisper, turning on James as soon as Lily had closed the door to her room to change out of her school robes. "No offense to Wormtail, but these rooms aren't exactly big, and I really don't understand why you're deciding to take a room all for yourself!"  
  
Peter didn't take offense, as he was wondering the same thing himself.  
  
James pushed his glasses back on his nose, not looking away from Sirius's angry gaze. "And no offense to Remus either, I'm sure." There was a look in his eye that Peter couldn't decipher. "Look, when I told my parents that we'd be coming here, Remus hadn't decided, so they set it up for the three of us."  
  
Remus frowned. "Lily hadn't decided, either, and you seem to have accommodated her quite nicely." Sirius snorted. "And I don't think that giving  _Lily_  her own room is wrong, but . . ."  
  
"There  _is_  only one bed, Prongs," Peter pointed out. "And you know I like these chaps a lot, but three blokes of our size in one bed?"  
  
Sirius grumbled, something about  _not_  sharing a bed of  _any_  size with Wormtail. Peter took it in stride, as he did have the tendency to chew the pillows and blankets. Besides, Padfoot kicked.  
  
"And two in a bed is better?"   
  
Remus rolled his eyes. "It's at least more tolerable, Prongs. Come now, see sense!"  
  
James narrowed his eyes, and a soft humming from behind Lily's door seemed to soften him. "Fine then. Moony, you can bunk with me." Peter immediately looked to Sirius, and was admittedly a little frightened by the way his face was now closed off—he was furious. Remus just sighed and nodded, and looked to Sirius just briefly before going to grab his bag and take it into the room James had claimed.  
  
Peter shrugged at Sirius. "I'll try not to gnaw on your pyjamas," he said with a small grin, but Sirius just rolled his eyes and stormed off outside.  
  
Peter knew he oughtn't take it personally. Though it was hard to remember that sometimes.  
  


~ * ~

  
  
After waiting nearly a half-hour for Sirius to get over his sulk and come back in to sit on James's head and fart, signaling the end of the tiff between friends, Remus realized that this time, Sirius had been hurt deeper than normal, and he wouldn't come back on his own. James was busy trying to show himself off as a proper Man of the House to Lily, and Peter had pulled the short straw and was in charge of supper, so it was easy enough for Remus to slip out the back door into the hazy late-afternoon air and seek out his wayward boyfriend.  
  
He found Padfoot running around the field, pausing every so often to mark territory, a canine instinct that Sirius had never been able to push down. Remus found a particularly grassy mound of earth and sat down, watching the black dog become distracted by a butterfly and begin to chase it.  
  
Sometimes it was odd to think that this mutt who was so lovable and so intent on marking territory was the same being who could kiss him so many different ways. The first time Sirius had tried to kiss him right after changing back from Padfoot, Remus had gone all wide-eyed and funny-faced, hiding his lips behind his hands and turning away. Sirius had laughed and settled for a cuddle, dragging his skin along Remus's until Remus was quite secure in the fact that he wasn't about to kiss a dog. Since then the recovery time had shortened a bit, but he still needed some time, and it was always longer if Padfoot had licked him in doggy glee.   
  
The setting sun moved more quickly than Remus expected, and it was well into dusk when he felt James flop down next to him. He knew it was James immediately, as James had a very particular flopping style.   
  
"I think there's a sheepdog competition the next town over. I bet Pads would win."  
  
Remus blinked.   
  
"Maybe could use the winnings to buy a doghouse for him to sleep in."  
  
Remus said nothing. He still wasn't all that pleased with James, either, but he wasn't too keen to let that be known. Sirius appearing upset because he had to share with Peter was expected, but Remus had no reason to be so against sharing a room with James. Not one that James could know about, at least.   
  
"Merlin, Remus, Pete isn't that terrible. And it's not like there's not floorspace . . ."  
  
"Oh shut up, James," Remus muttered. "It's not about the sleeping arrangements, it's that you looked like you were trying to play stupid games with us or something." Remus raised an eyebrow. "Or trying to give you double the chance to get Lily alone."  
  
"Oi! Now that's not fair!" James said, shifting to gesture indignantly at Remus. "I just—"  
  
Remus shook his head. "Your reason is shite, okay? Just accept that we called you out and apologize to Sirius so he can stop exhausting himself chasing after rabbits and butterflies." He stood up and whistled to the gallivanting dog, who looked over quickly and began to jog back towards Remus. That his path brought him close enough to bump into James, hard, was surely a complete coincidence.  
  
Padfoot made a low whining sound as they approached the house, and Remus nodded, allowing Padfoot inside. James had never said whether or not animals were permitted, and right now Remus wasn't much caring about the rules. With a happy bark, Pads hurried inside, immediately finding Lily for pets and scritches. Remus almost felt hurt, until he saw the cross look on James's face when he saw his best mate getting, er, pawsy with James's girlfriend.  
  
Remus hoped that would be enough for James to just give it up and apologize.  
  


~ * ~

  
  
"Merlin, Wormtail, you could at least do me the favor of drying my pillow after you chew on it all night."  
  
Lily raised an eyebrow as Sirius stumbled out of the bedroom, his hair askew and his chin shadowed with stubble. She quickly looked back to her oatmeal; four days on now and James still got grumpy when she gave more than a fleeting glance to his best friend. Of course, James hardly looked better in the mornings, though Remus tended to be quite well-rested and looking ready for the day.   
  
She'd been surprised at how the boys had split up the two remaining rooms; ask her to bet a few Galleons and she would've immediately put down for Sirius with James and Remus with Peter. An extra Sickle might have gone for the back-up idea of James-Peter and Sirius-Remus, but she didn't really think that James was as fond of Peter's admiration as Severus always liked to suggest. Not enough to put up with him for a week. No, she was aware of how close James and Sirius were, and it should have been a given, in her mind.  
  
So Lily had been watching them all throughout the week, wondering what had split James and Sirius.  
  
Perhaps it was her mere presence? Perhaps Sirius had been expecting she wouldn't join him, and now his best friend's attention was split away from him? She understood that feeling well; when Bonnie started dating Quint last year, Chloe had reacted quite badly to the adjustment in time they spent together. Of course, now Chloe was seeing Finn and it was like they'd never fought at all.  
  
Maybe the boys just needed to go out and find Sirius a girlfriend. Lily laughed quietly into her breakfast, the thought of Sirius Black finding a girlfriend seeming quite foreign to her. He was handsome, of course, and charming when he wanted to be, but he never struck her as the type to have a proper girlfriend. A fling, a date here and there, a one-nighter with some more forward woman, that seemed more his style.   
  
Sirius and Peter had kept on bickering, and Lily glanced over at Remus, who seemed to be trying to push back a headache. Lily thought back, trying to sort out if headaches were common for him as the moon waxed, or if his friends were just being that obnoxious.  
  
"Sirius," Remus finally said, his voice low but still commanding attention, "just use a bloody charm tonight, okay?"   
  
The other boy frowned and looked over at Remus, and his face seemed to soften slightly. "Good idea, Moony. Not sure why I didn't think of that before." Lily blinked at the tone of voice, and the easy agreement that he was making things more difficult that necessary. Clearly Sirius respected Remus, especially on the verge of some difficult nights.   
  
Remus, for his part, smiled at Sirius and went back to buttering his toast. He wasn't sleeping well, really, and he knew James wasn't, either. James wasn't used to sharing a bed, and Remus was only just getting used to sharing with Sirius. James had very different habits; frankly, Remus wasn't sure how Lily would be able to stand it if the two of them ever got that far in their relationship.  
  
As though summoned by Remus's thoughts, James arrived, fully dressed and with the air of a man about to make an important statement. They did not have to wait long.  
  
"Today," James proclaimed, "is a beautiful day."  
  
The other four simultaneously turned their heads and looked out the nearest window—the day was dreary to say the best, spring clouds heavy with the threat of rain.  
  
"And as such," he continued, ignoring their incredulous looks, "I think we should go into town."  
  
This was accepted more easily. Remus could see that Lily looked interested, as did Peter and Sirius. But Remus didn't think he'd be up for walking around all day, not so close to the moon.  
  
"You guys go ahead," he said quietly. "I think I'll need a nap soon." It was code, something he was used to saying in mixed company, and Sirius's smirk and glance towards Lily reminded him that she was fully a part of it now. Sheepishly, Remus turned to Lily and nodded. "Last day before the day of the moon," he explained. "I tend to tire very easily, though I can't really sleep, either."   
  
Lily nodded. "So we should. . . ."  
  
Remus gestured vaguely. "We all agreed years ago that they're not allowed to let themselves be slowed by the moon. Not allowed to stop doing what they want to do just because I can't join them." He smiled. "That goes for you, too. Go into town, really."  
  
James walked over and squeezed Remus's shoulder, then sat down next to Lily. "As long as you're up for it yourself, of course."  
  
After a long look at Remus, Lily smiled at James and nodded, and James let out a whoop and kissed Lily's cheek, immediately starting to lay out the plans he'd already made. Remus finished his breakfast quietly, then took his dishes away and slipped into the living room. If they were going to be leaving him alone for the day, perhaps he could get started on that Defence essay due at the end of next week. . . .  
  
"Moony."  
  
Remus looked up to find Sirius coming to sit next to him. "Heading out soon, Pads?" Remus asked.  
  
But Sirius shook his head. "I'm not going with them," he said; Remus frowned.  
  
"We agreed—"   
  
"I'm not staying because I feel guilty going out and having fun while you're stuck inside," Sirius said, his voice low and insistent. "That's what the agreement was about, right?"  
  
Remus could not argue that fact.  
  
"I'm staying," Sirius continued, and now his voice was a bit softer, fonder, "because I've missed you this week, and if those berks are gone . . ." He trailed off, licking his lips and letting the gesture speak for itself.  
  
"Oh." Remus looked over Sirius's shoulder. "Suppose that's different, then. What are you telling them?"  
  
"I'll think of something," Sirius said. "I won't make it about you, either." He leaned forward and lightly brushed his lips over Remus's forehead. "Just hold tight, okay? I'll be back later."  
  
Remus smiled. "All right. Later then." Sirius ruffled Remus's hair, then stood and left the room, headed back to the others. Remus took a few moments to close his eyes and linger on the feeling of Sirius's lips and fingers, then went back to working on his essay.  
  


~ * ~

  
  
James was helping Lily put on her cloak when Sirius found them. As expected, James looked surprised at Sirius's bare feet and pale face. "Padfoot?"  
  
Sirius shook his head. "I don't think breakfast agreed with me," he said in what he hoped was a distressed tone. "Feeling quite . . ." Sirius looked to Lily. "I don't think I should be too far from a loo," he finished, a far more polite phrasing than his normal vernacular would allow. He suspected, by the look of the smirk on Lily's face, that she realized what he was doing.  
  
James shook his head. "You better not be . . ."   
  
Sirius held up his hands. "No, I'm not. I'll be in bed moaning all day, trust me." It took a supreme effort of will, but he managed not to grin widely as he said that. "Don't worry, Remus won't know I'm here. Plus, I told him first, and he's okay with it." Sirius always did enjoy being able to lie while still telling the truth. Though he supposed that in some circles that might be considered worse than out-right lying.   
  
"Okay . . ."   
  
Peter smiled. "Feel better, Sirius." Sirius nodded back; good ol' Pete, he was always going along with things, never fussing about being an odd wheel. Even when he didn't realize he was being one.  
  
"Look on the bright side," Sirius said to Lily. "Without me there, there's a fully seventy-five percent chance Potter here will act like a civilized human being!"  
  
Lily shook her head, but her lips were smiling slightly. "Feel better, Black. I'll try not to miss you too much."  
  
Sirius winked. "There's a girl. We'll catch up later." She rolled her eyes and the three of them waved and headed out the door, while Sirius headed for his room, settling on the bed and enjoying being able to stretch out fully for a few long minutes. Once the novelty had worn off and the reality of being alone in the house with Remus had fully permeated his brain, he sat up and called out to his boyfriend.  
  
"Moony! We are  _alone_! Come take advantage of that!" He paused just briefly, then added, "And me!"  
  
Several moments later his arms were full of pre-moon werewolf, and he couldn't holler again even if he'd wanted to because his mouth was being firmly claimed by Remus's lips and tongue. Remus pressed close to him, his kisses filled with desperation and the terrible Sirius-missing he'd been forced to endure all week.   
  
"Going," Remus murmured when he finally moved his mouth away to rediscover the tastes of Sirius's cheeks, jaw, neck, and throat, "to kill," he let his teeth drag along Sirius's stubble, "Prongs." Back to a proper snog then, deep and thorough.   
  
Sirius chuckled, loving how eager Remus was after just a few days without kissing opportunities. It was something he'd considered manufacturing on a more frequent basis, but then again that meant he'd have to go without kissing Remus, and that was a crime against these delicious lips to let them go unkissed if it could be helped.  
  
"Makes me almost wonder," he murmured, "if the mad bastard is more clever than we think."  
  
"Mmm. Plot revenge later," Remus said. "Kiss me now."  
  
Hardly a difficult request to fulfill for Sirius, and he happily let all thoughts of spiders in Prongs's pants leave his mind.  
  


~ * ~

  
  
It started raining harder than James had planned, and while he might have been disappointed under normal circumstances, instead he felt a sort of relief knowing that in going back to the cottage early at Lily's request (and her promise of baking brownies), they were going to finally catch his best mates At It.  
  
He rather hoped that It had not progressed too far to involve clothes.  
  
His plans to catch them went even better than he could have hoped. He'd been trying to find some reason to barge in on Sirius immediately as they got back, but in the end he didn't have to—Lily, the wonderful and innocent girl, headed there first, her question about whether or not Sirius was feeling well enough yet to eat brownies mostly out of her mouth when she opened the door wide and revealed, much to her honest surprise, the two house-bound members of their party in the very definition of a compromising position.  
  
James couldn't help but stare; even though he'd been sure he'd known the truth for a while now, he'd not really prepared himself for the sight of Remus shirtless, sprawled on top of Sirius, one of Sirius's hands down the back of Remus's trousers, and both of them  _staring at him_...  
  
He said the only thing that came to mind: "I  _knew it_!"  
  
Lily, who had far better reaction time than he did, quickly pulled the door closed and glared at him. "You knew? You couldn't have warned me?" She took a deep breath. "Not that I care, of course, I just don't like to burst in on private moments." She sighed and turned back towards the door, speaking through it. "I'm so sorry! Leaving you alone now!"  
  
She walked away from the door, going right into the kitchen and starting to gather what she needed to bake her brownies. James, stuck between wanting to confront his mates and wanting to impress Lily with his tolerance, just stood staring at the door with a dopey look on his face for a few more minutes, until Peter cleared his throat.  
  
"I, uh, suppose I'll be rooming with you the rest of holiday, then?"  
  
And that's when James began to laugh.  
  


~ * ~

  
  
The brownies helped a lot. It was hard to feel too upset with your friends when everyone was eating brownies.   
  
"When did you figure it out?" Remus asked, leaning up against Sirius on the couch, trying not to read too much into the fact that James was having a hard time meeting their eyes.  
  
"Ages ago," James said, smirking a bit. "You're not as subtle as you like to think, mates."   
  
"Subtle enough," Lily murmured. "I'd no clue! And I'd figured out Remus's . . ."   
  
"Furry little problem," James offered.  
  
"To be fair, Evans," Sirius said, "you don't sleep in our dorm."  
  
"I do," Peter said, with only a little pout. "Then again I don't really care about anyone's mating habits, unlike James there."  
  
Sirius nodded. "He's right. Should've warned you about that in advance, Evans. You've been warding off your room, haven't you?"  
  
Lily's face was slightly alarmed, and Remus was quick to reassure her. "Trust me, he's not that terrible. Plus if he left the room to spy on you I might have somehow managed to sneak Sirius in, and he couldn't have  _that_."  
  
"Oi!" Sirius sat up, jostling Remus who squeaked lightly before nearly falling off the couch. "You total twat, Prongs! That's why you jumped through hoops to keep me and Remus from sharing a room!"  
  
James looked completely unapologetic. "Maybe if you two had  _said something_  I wouldn't have done it. So why didn't you tell me, anyway?"  
  
Sirius and Remus exchanged an uncomfortable glance, and Remus said, slowly, "No . . . no really good reason. But it was fun having a secret, you know? A  _good_  secret."  
  
"It was fun seeing Moony happy and knowing why," Sirius added, "and also knowing that I was the only one who knew why."  
  
"We would have told you before we left school," Remus continued. "Might have even told you this week, except for the whole room thing. . . ."  
  
James shook his head, waving his hand at them. "You kept it a secret on purpose, so you don't get to be mad at me for reacting to that secrecy." He shrugged. "Besides, I could've been wrong, and offended you if I'd asked."  
  
"You boys are all idiots," Lily proclaimed. "I thought you lot thought yourselves better than girls because you didn't keep secrets or hide from each other."  
  
"Normal blokes like Wormtail and me, maybe," James agreed, "but I don't know what the rules are for these two po—" The pillow hit his face before he could finish the word, and Lily was looking far too innocent to be anything any other than the culprit.  
  
Remus nodded in her direction, then said to James, "Just because  _you_  have been disgustingly obvious for the past four years about where your affections lie, that doesn't mean we all want to make ourselves look like arses."  
  
"How long have you been . . . affectioning with each other?" Peter asked, his talent for heading off an interminable "no you!" argument coming in handy as always.   
  
"Why, you going to buy us a present for our six-month anniversary?" Sirius asked.  
  
"Because if you were," Remus said, "you've missed it."  
  
Sirius blinked and looked at Remus. "No he hasn't."  
  
Remus did a double-take. "What? Of course he has, don't be daft!"  
  
"What are you talking about? We're not at six months yet."  
  
"We abso _lutely_  are, Pads! Have you been missing time again?"  
  
"McGonagall made Filch stop using that polish, I'm perfectly sorted with my sense of time. . . ."  
  
James rolled his eyes and looked over at Lily, who he was surprised to find watching him with an odd look on her face. It was odd for her, anyway, not odd for other people, as other people frequently looked at him as though they expected him to act differently than he was at the moment of the looking. "What?" he asked, quietly.  
  
She drew closer and gestured at his bickering mates. "That doesn't bother you?"  
  
"Oh, they've always been like that."  
  
"I mean," she pressed, her voice shrinking to a whisper, and he realized with a thrill that she was sitting even closer now, "that they're together."  
  
" _Oh_." He shrugged. "Figured it out months ago, I've done all of my manly freaking out." He grinned widely. "I am tolerant and supportive now. Isn't that nice, Lily?"  
  
Lily chuckled and let her head rest on his shoulder. He sat stock still—Prongs in headlights. "That's very nice," she agreed. "There's hope for you yet, James Potter."  
  
Peter looked around, realized that he was a fifth wheel. For just a brief moment he felt alone, like he didn't belong.  
  
But then he figured he'd get a room all to himself now, and that was really all right then.   
  
James and Sirius hogged the sheets anyway.


End file.
